Dress-shield fastener



W. AHLMGREN AND H. C. KARLSON.

DRESS SHIELD FASTENER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5. 1920.

1,371,593, Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

I. 23 fi 2 i'f ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALBORG AHLMGREN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND HENRY C. KARLSON, OF HASBROUCKHEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY.

DRESS-SHIELD FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented DIal. 15, 1921.

Application filed January 5, 1920. Serial No. 349,463.

, ing at the borough of Manhattan, in the county, city, and State of NewYork, and at the borou h of I-Iasbrouck Heights, 1n the county of Bergenand State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Dr ess- ShieldFastener, of which the followlng 1s a specification.

This invention relates to fastenlng devlces and it appertains moreespecially to a clasp for securing a dress-shield in its assignedposition.

One of the objects of the inventlon 1s to produce an improved article ofthe character described capable of effectively fastening a dress-shieldover the seam joining the sleeve of a garment with the body thereofwhile offering no obstruction to the movement of the wearers arm.

Another object is the production of an article of the nature set forthreadily applied without injury-to the parts intended to be secured oneto the other and easily removable therefrom.

A further object is to provide an article of the class referred to, amember whereof will operate to squeeze together the thickness ofmaterial to be fastened by sliding thereon, after which an associatedelement will serve to hold the material in place by piercing it in adirection transverse to that followed when applying the member.

Still another object is the provision of an article ofthe classmentioned having its operative parts locked against accidentaldisplacement and so arranged that a certaln amount of distortion betweenthem will cause no inconvenience to the user.

A still further object is to devise an article of the type specifiedcomposed of but two plain and durable-parts amenable to low cost ofmanufacture and united by a simple joint preventing them from becomingseparated.

Other objects and advantages. of the invention will become apparent asthe. specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects view, the invention consists of the novelcombinations and arrangement of parts hereinafter described in theirpreferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claims, andillustrated in the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated bythe same reference characters throughout the several views.

Generally described, the invention comprises a U-shaped member adaptedto be forced over the central ridge of a dressshield to hold the latterin place over the seamed edge occurring between the sleeve of a garmentand the body thereof. Overlying one side of and hingedly connected tothe crotch of this member is an element carrying a piercer adapted topass through the dress-shield as well as that portion of the garment towhich it is attached. Means are provided to lock the element with the U-shaped member; to socket the point of the piercer; and to facilitate theforcing in as well. as the withdrawal of the piercer.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized whenall of its features and instrumentalities are combined in the one andsame structure, but, useful devices may be produced embodying less thanthe whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the inventionappertains, upon becoming conversant with the details there- 'of, thatthe same may be incorporated in several different constructions. Theaccompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted merely as showing thepreferred exemplification of the invention.

In the said drawing which illustrates the invention in about four timesnatural size,

Figure I is a top plan view of this improved fastening device;

Fig. II is a vertical longitudinal section of the same;

Fig. III is a side elevation of the device, looking at it from the leftof the preceding figures:

Fig. IV is an elevation of the device showing an element thereof in achanged position;

ig. V is a side view of the same looking from the; right of Figs. I andII;

Fig. VI is a bottom plan of the form of the device illustrated by theforegoing figures;

Fig. VII is a perspective view representing one part of a modified formof the device, and h Fig. VIII is a similar view of the other part ofthe same modification separated y from the part shown in the previousfigure.

. widened asclearly indicated in the drawing. The said crotch isprovided with apertures 6, 7 spaced one from the other to leave a stripor bridge 8 therebetween. Of these apertures, 6, which is the larger,cuts into the leg 1, a predetermined amount, the purpose whereof andalso that of the bridge 8, will be more fully hereinafter referred to.

The said leg 1 has formed near its extremity an outwardly projectingprotuberance 11 which is provided with a recess or cavity that may be inthe nature of an approximately conical aperture 12, of which will belater pointed out.

From the extremity of the opposite leg 2 extends inwardly thereof anopen ended slot 15 which divides the said leg into two prongs 16, 17.The inner terminal of this slot is somewhat enlarged as at 18,.so as toincrease the resilience of the said prongs, thereby enabling them tomore readily reccde one from the other as well as to spring togetherafter being forced apart. Near their free ends these prongs have theiropposed inner edges beveled or flaring outwardly as shown-at 19, whilethe corners formed between the latter and the outer sides of the pron 'sare liberally rounded as indicated at 20 Ior a purpose that willhereinafter appear. The free terminals of the prongs are also curved inorder that they may not catch in or tear the material of thedress-shield when the U- shaped memberis forced over the same.

The hereinbefore mentioned bridge 8 constitutes the pintle for ahinge-eye 21 formed vided with a piercer 2? that is preferably curved inconformity with an arc of a circle described from the hinge 22 or itspintle as a center. By reason of this-construction, the free end of thepiercer which is pointed similarly to a needle, is enabled to passthrough or out of the material between the legs of the U-shaped memberwithout in anyway tearing or producing an unsightly the object holetherein. Due to the fact that the aperture S, as previously pointed out,is of extended dimensions, it permits the insertion of the hinge-eye 21,therethrough in a halfoper. condition, sothat the latter may be .ed ontoand closed over the hinge pin- Yes 0 during the assembling of theseparts.

To prevent the element from moving away from the side of the U-shapedmember and cause withdrawal of the piercer, except when desired to openor remove the device, retaining means are provided at the place wherethe pier-cer 2T joins the outer end of the said element 22. As shown,this means may consist of a head tapered toward the juncture of thepier-oer with the element 22, in a manner that will cause this head tobe we gingly received and clasped intermediate of the correspondinglyflared inner faces 18 of the prongs 16, 17, before referred to. In orderto enable the said head 30 to readily enter between and. pry the prongsapart, the juncture of the piercer proper with the head 30, is amplycurved outwardly as indicated at 31.. it will be noted, the grippingportions 23, of. the element 22 are located in close proximity to thepiercer, so that the most at vantageous purchase is obtained at a pointwhere the inwarclly'acting pressure of the prongs uponthe head 30 is thegrea est. This arrangement of parts is conclucive to the diminishing ofexertion in man 'iulating the pierccr carrying element, e yet 0 viatingaccidental displacement the latter rrom the member. The sharp point ofthe curved piercer enters and is received in the beforementionedaperture 12. the conical or tapering walls whereof will guide or rectifythe path of the piercers point should it have become slightly distorted.It will be observed with regard to II that the free end of the piercerterminates substantially in alinement 'with the outer side of the leglavhile the protuberance 11 extends beyond the piercers point. byreason-of which should it happen that the legs of the Ushaped memberwere siightly bent toward each other, still the point would be incasedor protected, without permitting it to become dulled.

The modified form of the invention disclosed by Figs. VII and VIIIrepresents the fastener made of resilient wire. Fig. VII shows theU-shaped member separate or apart from the piercer element which isillustrated in Fig VIII. The same parts as in the previously describedconstruction are found in their near resemblance in this modificationand have been given a sufiix letter to identify them. Thus, the leg 1 isformed of double wires embodying in their convolutions an eye-socket 12The leg 2 includes four wires side by side, forming the prongs 16 and 178*. The element- 22 with its coiled hinge 21" and piercer 2 7 areformedintegral with the grip 23, 24 and wedge-head which latter may becomposed, of asuitable enlargement struck up from the same piece ofwire. It will be noted with respect to both of the structures shown, theinteriors of their U-shaped members, are .entirely unobstructed andclear.

Nothwithstanding. it has been herein described and Fig. II shows thatthe fastening device is placed over a dress-shield A to hold the latterin position at the juncture of a sleeve B with a garment C, nolimitation is intended in this respect, since the fastener can equallyas well be positioned under the dress-shield andattached thereto forinstance by stitches passing in and out of the apertures 6, 7 in whichcase the U- shaped member would be forced over the juncture of thesleeve with the body of the garment alone. This last named arrangementmay be resorted to particularly when the sleeve and garment are composedof rather heavy materials.

While certain preferred embodiments of this device have been shown anddescribed,

' it will be understood that changes in the form, arrangements,proportions, sizes and details thereof may be made, without departingfrom the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having described our invention what we desire to secure by LettersPatent and claim, is

.1. A device of the character described comprising in combination asubstantially U-shaped member with the interior space between the legsand crotch thereof unobstructed, and a piercer carrying element hingedat one end in said crotch so as to swing arcuately therefrom and thrustits point across said space.

2. A device of'the character described comprising in combination asubstantially U-shaped member having the included space between thebranches and crotch thereof permanently open, an element flexiblyconnected to said crotch, so as to swing in its entirety outside of saidmember; and an arouate piercer carried by said element oscillata bleacross the ends of said branches.

3. A device of the character described comprising in combination asubstantially U-shaped member having a clear space included between itsbranches and crotch, a piercing element adapted to be passed across saidspace in theplane of'said'member, and means near the outer end of one ofsaid branches for locking said element.

4:. A device of the character described comprising in combination a'substantially U-shaped membei having the space included between itsbranches and crotch clear, an element carrying" a piercer adapted to bepassed across said space, and means intermediate or" said element andits piercer servingto lock them with said member.

5. A device of the character described comprising in combination asubstantially U-shaped member having one of its legs bifurcated, anelement pivotally connected to the crotch of said member, a piercercarried by said element adapted to be passed through the bifurcation ofsaid leg, and receiving means with. the other leg of the member whereinthe point of said piercer enters.

6. A device of the character described comprising in combination asubstantially U-shaped member, a piercer carrying element hingedlycoupled to the crotch of said member, and a manipulating grip for saidelement located at its free end near the piercer thereof, the edges ofsaid grip extending laterally from the sides of the ad jacent branch ofthe member.

7. A device of the character described comprising in combination asubstantially U-shaped member having one branch bifurcated, an elementhingedly attached to said member in the crotch thereof, a piercercarried by said element capable of extending across the space under saidcrotch, and means intermediate of said piercer and the element adaptedto lock the same with said branch by wedgingly engaging its bifurcation.

8. A device of the character described comprising in combination asubstantially U-shaped member, a pintle located at the crotchintermediate of the branches of said member, an element overlying oneside of the latter from the crotch thereof, a piercer at one end of saidelement adapted to span the interval between said branches, and a hingeat the other end of the element engaging said pintle opposite saidpiercer.

9. A device of the character described comprising in combination asubstantially U-shaped member having a crotch intermediate of itsbranches, a pintle formed integral with said member between apertures insaid crotch, and a piercer carrying element hingedly engaging saidpintle.

10. A device of the character described comprising in combination asubstantially U-shaped member having a crotch intermediate of itsbranches, a pintle included in said crotch, and a piercer carryingelement with a hinge part adapted to take over said pintle, the latterbeing formed between spaced apertures one of which permits the insertiontherein of said part prior to closing it around the pintle.

11. A device of the character described comprising in combination asubstantially U-shaped member including branches joined by an archedcrotch, an element disposed exteriorly alongside one of said brancheshaving at one end a curved portion overlying one part of said crotch,being movably connected thereto, and an arcuate piercer near the otherextremity of said element ar- 12. In a device of the characterdescribed,

a body including spaced legs adapted to receive material between them,and a piercer element carried by said body and adapted to bridge thespace between the said legs, the point and body or" the pierc'er alwaystraveling in the same line.

13.1n a device of the class-described, a

body including spaced legs adapted to rcl5 "ceive material between them,an element hinged to said body and'adapted to swing toward and away fromone of the legs thereof, and a piercer carried by said element to moveinto or out of thespace between the said legs, the said piercer beingcurved longitudinally concentric with the hinge of said element.

:vvaLnone AHLMGREN, HENRY o. KARLSON.

